Ink Stained Fate (Eternal Love - Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms)
by TheMoonHoldsTheLight
Summary: What if Li Jing had found the letter Bai Qian was writing home about him before the big War? What if it changed everything? Sometimes destiny is deep, yet fate is shallow... (I suck in summaries, sorry. But please give it a shot!). Characters a bit OOC. This Fic will be Ye Hua and Bai Qian pairing, but they are not the only main characters.
1. A Forgotten Letter

A FORGOTTEN LETTER

_Dear Mom,_

_... Life at Kunlun Mountain, has been quiet uneventful of late._

_Since our return from the Purple Palace, the nosy High Goddess has not been a problem anymore and, for reasons you might understand, Shifu has locked up the cellar, probably trying to avoid trouble with any drunk disciple running around._

_Between classes and cultivating, being a Student to High God Mo Yuan is quite different from what I expected. All things considered, it is actually quite boring._

_Sometimes i miss my days playing on Ten Miles Peach Woods with Fourth Brother. I bet he is still having fun annoying Zhe Yan._

_I'd probably be miserable among all this lectures and serious faces wasn't for a new friend._

_One that, his fickle personality aside, seams to like me. Really like me._

_I'm sure you are right now trying to understand how it came along, but as I myself have not figure it out yet, this question will have to be left for another day. _

_Still, somehow, and despite my best efforts i might ad, he seems to like me._

_At first, he was just a clinging nuisance, refusing to let go. Like a very nosy, very loud puppy dog. _

_He is annoying, he is vain, he is incapable of thinking beyond his nose, and seems to have the enervating ability to show up everywhere. Sometimes i just want to shove his head on a hole in the ground to make him go away. Or just stop talking. _

_But then, once he is gone, I simply can't stop thinking, wanting his pestering self around me. _

_Li Jing is not strong, nor has high moral standards. I'm perfectly aware I should not like him._

_In fact, i would have never chosen him myself._

_We are completely wrong. Like two opposite forces colliding every time we meet – and I know nothing good will ever come out of it._

_But I don't know if i can now. Send him away._

_When he nags i get frustrated. But when he stops the only thing on my mind is how to find a way and make him go back to bickering with me. He sends me the most useless, girlish things, with no use whatsoever. But when he doesn't, I can't help wanting to throw a very large, very heavy stone at his head._

_He seems to be always looking at me, watching me. His dark eyes always lazily around. _

_Mom, I know this letter will probably never be sent. That I won't have the heart to ask this from you and father._

_To give your only daughter as a Princess to the Ghost realm._

_Still, even as i write this words, I can't help but wish._

_Is it wrong to wish? Wish we could just be together on a small hut, drinking when we are thirsty, eating when hungry... Just life. Pure, simple, and beautiful._

_I..._

The letter slid trhough Li Jing's frozen fingers, tears slowly sliding down his face as the truth finally sunk in.

A knot pressed on his throat, making it hard to breath, turning the large, spacious room suddenly stuffy.

How come he didn't notice before? His head fell back, a desperate, humorless laugh rocketing his body as tears still fell.

Oh Heavens, what kind of joke was that? Why make him love and loose, just to later find out the truth...

The laugh suddenly became full-on sobs, his kneed giving up under him as his body hit the ground painfully, hands grasping at his head.

It had been at his face all along. The truth. In every blush, every shy answer, every half answer... It was as if she was hinting at the truth, asking him to understand, to see beyond his eyes.

Still... At the end, he had failed her. Over and over, he failed her.

The way he had hurt the one person he had said he loved...

"It will always be you" he had told him a few nights earlier, as they sat at the entrance of their cave "It doesn't matter to me wether you are a man, a woman or even a Heavenly Beast. It is you. It is who you are that matters to me. It is enough.".

"Knowing your heart... Li Jing... That is enough for a lifetime".

But apparently it hadn't.

The Ghost Prince still couldn't understand what happened... Why had he fallen on that woman's trap? Why had he betrayed the person he loved like that? Without remorse, without looking back. Without a moment's hesitation.

After having so many concubines, after sleeping with so many, man and woman alike, he felt almost detached as Xuan Nu came to him. Her smile so sweet, her skin so soft against his. It was almost like holding his Sy'Ing to him... If only he could ignore the eyes. It didn't matter how good the disguise, Li Jing knew, he simply KNEW, deep in his heart, there would never be a pair of eyes like Sy'Ing's to him.

Her deep, caring, mischievous brown eyes.

Weak. Flawed. Suddenly, his image of himself became blurry, unwanted.

He looked down at the paper on the ground, the light, yellowish color a stark contrast with the cold, stone floor of Sy'Ing's chambers.

Everything was so quiet, so empty. There was not a single painting, not a clothe left around. Where once all his presents had stayed, now was only an empty, clean shelf.

Looking mockingly at him.

_Stupid fool. How could you've been so_ blind?

She had loved him, just as much as he had loved her - maybe even more. But it didn't matter anymore. It was too late for them.

Their love was not meant to last. Just like the first snow... Coming and going with brightness and strength. Silently disappearing, till there was nothing left of its beauty. Just a sweet memory.

His eyes rose with the long whistled sound that reverberated through the walls. His heart hurt, a fist closing itself around the throbbing organ. His gaze strayed once more to the letter.

There was no excuse to stay there anymore. They had already gotten the strategy maps from Kunlun Mountain. He was supposed to go back now, to make sure his father had everything to win that war.

A war that might end up killing her.

"Sometimes destiny is deep... Yet fate is shallow", he whispered to himself, his deep, dark eyes slowly hardening as a new resolve took hold of him.

With one more deep breath, he turned around and headed to the door, the old letter stored carefully inside his vest, just over his heart.

He was ready.

For the firs time in his life, Li Jing, the unwanted, lazy Prince of the Ghost Tribes knew what to do.

And he wasn't scared anymore. Not even for a second.


	2. The Bell Of The Eastern Emperor

THE BELL OF EASTERN EMPEROR

"Seventeen?"

I look up, frowning slightly at the worried look on Master's face. Through all the years i had been at Kunlun Mountain, i had actually never seen him quite like that. I was no stranger to the flash of anger that could light up his eyes and be gone just as fast. I had seen him frustrated with his brother, the Sky Emperor, and his look of resignation when the news that war was unavoidable finally reached us.

There had been kindness on the turn of his eyes when he rescued me from Goddess Yao Guang, and even a streak of amused resignation whenever he caught me daydreaming behind a book.

But that was the first time i saw him worried. His eyes so dark, so deep... Eyes of someone that had seen the worst this world had to offer and survived.

The person in front of me was not my Master, the man that had became almost like a surrogate father during the long years on the mountain. He was a stranger who carried the weight of the world over his shoulders, and the knowledge and grief of a thousand lifetimes on his gaze.

For the first time in thousands of years, I felt like I was talking with the famous God of War Mo Yuan.

"Shifu?" I asked, a bit unsure, looking around the war camp as if unsure he was really talking to me "What is wrong? Did we have any more losses? I thought Goddess Yao Guang had agreed to help!" I exclaimed, starting to rile up as I thought the woman that supposedly loved him so much had deserted us when most needed.

Instead of answering, he only smiled softly, his hands gripped behind his back.

"Seventeen, come with Master for a bit" he asked, motioning for us to slowly walk towards the camp entrance, the cold, white moonlight shining brightly over our heads "When the world was still young, there was a saying between us, my Father's children..." he begun, his gaze lost on the night sky "It takes a single drop for the water to overflow, but it takes thousands to fill a river... Do you know what it means?".

I couldn't help as my frown deepened, my lazy mind trying to place where in heaven had I heard of that before. Maybe it was Zhe Yan, on a particularly drunken night...

"There is no need to strain yourself" Master said eventually, bringing my attention back to him with an indulgent smile "Seventeen... You're still so young and naive. Have you ever considered how big is this world? How much we actually have to lose?" he breathed deeply, a war-away look clouding his features once more "The actions of a single man put into motion the wheels of fate. But I'm afraid, this time, it'll be needed more than his blood for the engines to stop.".

I squirmed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, even though I couldn't actually place the reason.

My Master closed his eyes for a second, the moonlight shining over his upturned face, making his beautiful, timeless features even more alluring as we walked. Even as the years progressed, and through everything that followed, i could never forget Mo Yuan's expression at that moment.

The moment I knew we were much farther from winning than the Sky Emperor was willing to consider.

"Seventeen, did I ever tell you about the Bell of the Eastern Emperor?"

As he talked, i felt every cell on my body constricting, all blood freezing inside my veins.

It was right there, at the gates of a dusty, bloody war camp, with only the moon and the smell of ash and sweat around us, that i finally understood what was to be an adult.

That was the moment I left my childhood behind.


	3. Sacrifice

"SACRIFICE"

(Begins on Ep 06 of the Drama)

**Bai Qian POV**

"NINGHT BROTHER!"

My voice felt like something foreign. Everything around me seemed to slow to a crawl as my desperate gaze locked with Ninth Brother's wide-opened eyes, his knees faltering below him as blood, thick, red blood begun to sip from his mouth, staining his deathly-white, beautiful face.

He had always been like that. Beautiful as a plum blossoming under a summer breeze. Kind. I could still remember his words when we got trapped by the Ghost Emperor, his reassuring, calm certainty that we would survive, that Master would come to us.

He was always so firm... So strong.

As if reading my mind, Ninth's lips curved into the tiniest of smiles, his face softening as the Ghost Tribe soldiers ripped their lances out of his chest with a single, merciless pull. Blood. Red, warm, rusty blood spilled out of his mouth, staining his impeccably white clothes.

I didn't know i was moving until i felt his weight falling against my body, his head resting on my shoulder as his blood kept flowing, pooling around us like a wound on the very earth.

"Ninth Brother!" I called, shaking him slightly, my voice broken "Ninth Brother, I'm here...! Please, i'm here now! I will help you."

"Seventeen..." He whispered, eyes barely lucid, already glassy from blood loss "Go... Quick, you have to go."

No... No... no! I shook my head, silent tears streaming uncontrollably over my face, making me unable to speak. I wouldn't leave. I couldn't leave him. He couldn't... He...

My brain was running in circles, trying to find another explanation. Because I couldn't let myself believe. I simply couldn't. Not after everything Master had told me about the Bell.

"Ninth Brother! Ninth Brother, you have to stay awake" I bagged, barely conscious of the approaching enemies surrounding us "Brother, i will take you out of here... I... I will get you to Master, M-Master will save you!" I kept going on, willing him to stay awake "Night Brother, please! You can't... You can't..."

He coughed, more blood spilling from his discolored lips as life slowly left his limbs.

"So... Tired..." his words, slow and tired, sounded like the final rip on my sanity.

"Ninth Brother" I called again and again, completely unaware of Li Jing's figure at my left, fighting his elder brother's attempts to get closer to Ninth Brother and me, and Master's desperate calls for me to go back. I didn't hear anything. I simply couldn't. "Ninth Brother... Ninth... Ling Yu! Ling Yu! Please, you have to wake up! You can't die here! I need you, Ling Yu! _Ling Yu!_".

Why wouldn't he open his eyes?! Why couldn't he just answer me? Give me a small bump in the back of the head as he usually did when i was being mischievous.

"Ling Yu!" I screamed, still shaking his now unmoving body, my head spinning, trying to find a way to fix it. Inside, a small voice kept saying it was my fault. My fault, my fault...

If i hadn't met Li Jing, If I hadn't brought Xuan Nu to the mountain... If I hadn't been so childish in wating to visit the Purple Palace...

My fault, my fault, my fault... All my fault.

The words kept echoing on my head like an endless vortex gripping all the strength i had in my body... Until i heard it. His laugh.

The laugh of the man that had started it all.

I knew Fourth Brother had left his post at some point, trying to reach me, just as i could hear the clashing noises of swords. Part of my brain tried to understand what was happening, telling me there was something terribly wrong with that scenery, but the other one... The biggest part of me felt just numb. I couldn't think. I couldn't plan. There was just Ling Yu's weight on my arms... And the Ghost Emperor's laughter on my ears.

The Ghost Emperor was roaring, his head thrown back as he taunted my Master, his despicable excuse of a son by his side, a wide grin illuminating his face as his sister contained Li Jing, gripping his arm to keep him from fighting.

Suddenly, there was a ring in my ears, my vision seemingly covered by a layer of red. My hands shook so hard i felt like they were about to brake. But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered at that moment. I had reached my limit.

With my jaw set, eyes burning with vengeance, i reached for my fan, jolting it with energy until i was holding a long, double-edged sword on my hands.

"Seventeen!" i thought i heard Mo Yuan scream "Sy'Ing! Don't do this!".

**Li Jing POV**

Her eyes where hollowed. I might never in my life be able to forget the look on her eyes at that very moment. She looked haunted, devastated. So far gone on her own mind i doubted she could hear even if i called for her.

My fault. All of that. I promised to be with her. I promised to love only her. I promised a life for us.

But it had been my own hands... My own choices to put that look on her face. If only i had not believed Xuan Nu, if only i had been stronger... There were simply too many if's between us at that point.

"Brother!" Yan Zhi tugged at my arm desperately, trying to stop me from breaking free of her hold and lunging forward in my Brother's direction "Brother! Please, stop! It's to late" her voice was sad, stained with unshed tears "Please, let go..."

But I couldn't. Not when i could still see her. See the damage i had brought to her beautiful, free and joyful spirit. I wandered whether i would ever be abe to see her smile again.

"Sy'Ing..." i whispered beside myself, just to see her head bob up, her face lifeless. She got up, releasing a gush of internal strength as she released her fan.

I felt coldness descend on my spine. No. She couldn't...

From then on, everything happened fast.

I watched, horror stricken, as father flew up, high on the sky, conjuring the Bell from a air pocket and ringing it with a maniac laugh. As everyone stared in terror, the Bell flew, enlarging more and more until it was but a fiery hole, devouring everything on its wake.

Sy'Ing screamed, her body shaking as she tried to reach for my father. Despite myself, i lunged forward, encircling her body with my arms and trying to hold her still.

"Ah'Ing! Ah'Ing!" i kept calling, trying to reach her between the pain and despair gushing out of her in waves "Ah'Ing, Please! Please, you can't! He'll kill you!"

"I'm gonna kill him!" she screamed instead "He's gonna pay for this! I swear! He is gonna pay!"

"Ah'Ing!" I grasped her by the shoulders, shaking her forcefully until her eyes cleared, looking at me with a semblance of what looked like recognition "Ah'Ing, you have to stop! He is gonna kill you! It is to late now! _Stop!"_

"What is it to you if I die?_"_ she whispered instead, barely able to stay on her feet "What is any of this to you? You, Li Jing, betrayed us. You are just like your father!"

I stumbled back, her bitter words hitting me like a punch on the gut. Air felt harder to breath, my mind slowing down, everything turning grimmer.

"Ah'Ing..." i called despite myself, unable to hid the pain on my voice "Ah'Ing, please... It's not as you think..."

"It doesn't matter now, though, does it?" she retorted, eyes cold as ice "You chose your side. I chose mine. We can never again walk the same path."

No. No, no... He didn't want to hear it. His heart was crumbling into peaces, shattering slowly inside his chest.

"Ah'Ing..."

At that moment, though, a loud scream caught her attention, her eyes widening as she looked up.

"SHIFU!" She screamed, a madness i had never seen taking her expression as the fight between Mo Yuan and my father reached us "SHIFU!"

Before she could run for him, i once more grabbed at her hand, trying hard to ignore her shoving, screaming and punching at me while trying to reach her master.

"Stop, you don't understand!" she kept saying "He is going to sacrifice himself! He is going to die for the bell! I have to stop it! I have to stop it!" she cried desperate, looking at me with pleading eyes "Please, you have to let me go! I can't lose him! Please, let me go!"

And it was right at that moment, with all the hurt i had caused her so visible to me, that i made a decision. I wouldn't let her suffer. Wouldn't let her feel that kind of pain anymore. Not if i could do anything.

Before the first word left my lips, though, the world shook, trowing all of us to the ground. With a loud war cry, on the sky Mo Yuan stabbed at my father.

The world went completely still. The air turned ice on my lungs. I couldn't breath. Couldn't move.

My father...

The bell rang again. Stronger. Louder then before.

"Shifu..." she mumbled at my side, her brother finally able to reach her, stopping any further attempt "Shift, please... please don't..."

I looked up, seeing the resolve on Mo Yuan's eyes.

And that was when I understood. That was when i knew what had happened, and what i had to do.

Ignoring everything else, I reach to my iner force and made myself float, reaching until i was side by side with Mo Yuan.

"This is not your responsibility, War God" I said, looking at his surprised gaze straight on.

"Ghost Prince, Li Jing" he acknowledged "This is what i must do. I could never ask for anyone to atone for my failures".

"You didn't ask" I answered, smiling bitterly "Since the begin of times, children are always paying for their father's sins."

"Brother!" Yan Zhi called "Brother, what are you doing!?"

Mo Yuan looked down, accessing the fear on my sister's face.

"When this is over" I said, fighting for my voice to keep still "Please... Spare her. You can do anything you want with my brother, bu Yan Zhi... She is good. This was nothing of her doing."

Slowly, Mo Yuan's old gaze turned back at me.

"I would never hurt an innocent" he vowed "This was a feud your father begun. And it died with him."

I nodded, fighting not to look at her again, to ignore her confused cries, the loud, beautiful sound of her cracked voice as she fought her brother's grip.

Finally, as the warmth of the Bell descended over my skin, burning into my soul, i didnt want to control myself anymore. Looking down at her distraught face, i whispered my last words.

"Please, take care of her."

Mo Yuan didn't need me to explain who i was referring to.

"You have my word" he said eventually, seemingly just as emotional as i was feeling.

Closing my eyes, i waited until the image of the first time i had met her took hold of my mind, her bright, mischievous eyes indignantly gazing at me as we stumbled into the water.

'Sy'Ing... My Sy'Ing' I thought. 'We were not fated in this life... May Destiny be good so i can meet you on my next life. I promise, i will never betray you again.'

And with her warm smile warming my heart under my lashes and the hopeful words of her forgotten letter still tucked inside y clothes, next to my heart, i flew up, inside the Eastern Emperor's Bell.

To a better place, where there was only me and her. Where there were no mistakes between us. Where we could be happy, just to people that loved each other on a small cabin on the mountains...

"_NO! LI JING!_"

He smiled. Her voice. Her sweet voice, calling for him. Earnestly. Just like before.

In his heart, he didn't know whether it was his mind conjuring her love for him as a balm on those last moments, or whether she was really there, really worried for him. He didn't want to know. To go listening to her voice, to feel she cared for him one last time...

It was already enough.

At that time, as the fire of Eastern Emperor's Bell enveloped him, it was indeed everything.


End file.
